Blog No 176 – Book Review – The Island House by Mary Considine

As I have an enthusiasm for books, I’ve accepted a further offer to write a book review for Mary Considine’s latest book The Island House. Mary is a new author to me, nevertheless I was keen to commence this memoir.

The book is available in most bookstores and online retailers now. Congratulations to Mary for such a truly inspirational book.

Book Description

Mary and Patrick’s dream was to live in London, have 2.4 children, the nice house, the successful jobs. But life had other plans, and in one traumatic year that all came crashing down.

Bruised and battered, Mary finds herself pulled towards Cornwall and dreams of St George’s Island, where she spent halcyon childhood summers.  So, when an opportunity arises to become tenants if they renovate the old Island House, they grab it with both hands.

Life on the island is hard, especially in winter, the sea and weather, unforgiving.  But the rugged natural beauty, the friendly ghosts of previous inhabitants, and the beautiful isolation of island life bring hope and purpose, as they discover a resilience, they never knew they had.

It has been empty now for six years, and it is full of ghosts. Every wall is patterned with black mould, in lacy fronds or lumpy stripes; every window in the house is broken.

We pile bedding, blankets, coats on to the bed and the cats climb in with us, mourning their lost comforts. We listen to the wails of wind and the menace of waves through the broken glass and breathe in the spores and the damp, clinging together, our family, in the faint warmth of the bed.

We are entirely happy.

About The Author – Mary Considine

Mary Considine

Growing up in the flat landscape of Bedfordshire, Mary Considine fell in love with Cornwall and the sea on her first visit as a small child. Distracted by the badlands of London, she spent the 90s writing and directing plays on the London and Edinburgh Fringe, and scriptwriting. Work included Angels, Time Out Critics Choice; The Other Half, commissioned by the Carlton TV screenwriting initiative; and a short film The Hand Job, shortlisted for the Lloyds Bank/Channel 4 short film competition. The noughties were spent teaching drama in secondary schools in the hills of North Yorkshire and, in pursuit of her now husband, back in London, before realising her impossible dream of moving to St George’s Island in 2010. 

She now lives in North Devon with her husband, Patrick, and seven horses.

Book Review

I found this book to have both heart and soul, it was very inspiring indeed. This book provides an insight into Mary & Patrick’s life. Commencing in the city of London and moving onto St George’s Island, Cornwall.  Along the way, there’s moments of endearing friendships, compassionate family members and willing volunteers.

You’ll observe the evolution of pigs, ducks, dogs, and bees. The creating of being self-sufficient from the island. The restoration of an old property and the conservation of the island. The book elaborates on the history of the island and its inhabitants.

Mary & Patrick’s life does experience some personal challenges, both happy and sad moments, which you’ll learn more throughout the book

This is a beautiful written memoir, and I would recommend this book to any avid reader or book club reading lists.

Mary Considine Social Media and Random Things Tour

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Blog No 175 – Book Review – Surf, Sweat and Tears by Andy Martin

Who doesn’t like a fiction book, I’ve accepted an offer to write a book review for Andy Martin’s latest book, Surf, Sweat and Tears. I was intrigued to learn about the life of Edward George William Omar Deerhurst and his passion for surfing.

The book is available at @orbooks https://www.orbooks.com/catalog/surf-sweat-and-tears/Congratulations to Andy for a thought-provoking book.

Book Description

This is the true story of Ted, Viscount Deerhurst, the son of the Earl of Coventry and an American ballerina who dedicated his life to becoming a professional surfer. Surfing was a means of escape, from England, from the fraught charges of nobility, from family, and, often, from his own demons. Ted was good on the board, but never made it to the very highest ranks of a sport that, like most, treats second-best as nowhere at all. He kept on surfing, ending up where all surfers go to live or die, the paradise of Hawaii. There, in search of the “perfect woman,” he fell in love with a dancer called Lola, who worked in a Honolulu nightclub. The problem with paradise, as he was soon to discover, is that gangsters always get there first. Lola already had a serious boyfriend, a man who went by the name of Pit Bull. Ted was given fair warning to stay away. But he had a besetting sin, for which he paid the heaviest price: He never knew when to give up.

Surf, Sweat and Tears takes us into the world of global surfing, revealing a dark side beneath the dazzling sun and cream-crested waves. Here is surf noir at its most compelling, a dystopian tale of one man’s obsessions, wiped out in a grisly true crime.

About The Author – Andy Martin

Book Review

This book had touched so many emotions with me and has left me questioning whether Ted is alive or dead. You must read the book to establish your own conclusion, however, expect to be intrigued

I felt Ted was emotionally wounded originated from his childhood. He showed signs of vulnerability, low self-esteem, and rejection, throughout his life. One consistent thing in his life was surfing and his passion took him around the world. Even with surfing, Ted, stride to be better and was accepted in the surfing world as an athlete. His knowledge of the sport was incredible and still to this day it suggests that Ted is still remembered in the surfing community. Ted’s emotions have impacted his life in one way or another, leading him down a road that conveys happiness to him but unfortunately may have ended his life.

If you have a passion for surfing or like a true story, I suggest you read this book. I have a better understanding of surfing terminology and for the sport itself. I am glad that Andy wrote this book about Ted, as the world needs to read Viscount Deerhurst life story to enable history to be told. Ted if you are out there, keep riding the waves.

This book was compulsive reading, and I would thoroughly recommend this book.

Andy’s Martin Other Books

1.  With Child: Lee Child and the Readers of Jack Reacher
2. The Boxer and The Goalkeeper:
3. Stealing the Wave: Sartre vs Camus
4. Walking on Water

Andy’s Martin Social Media and Random Things Tour

Blog No 174 – Book Review – Through the Water, Darkly by Victoria L Short

As I have a passion for books, I’ve accepted a further offer to write a book review for Victoria L Short latest book Through the Water, Darkly. Victoria is a new author to me, regardless I was eager to commence this historical romance novel.

The book is available in most bookstores and online retailers now. Congratulations to Victoria for a truly incredible book.

Book Description

What if their future lay in her past?

Caroline Curtis is an avid horticulturalist, who is injured during the restoration of a local country estate. She wakes in a familiar body, but a different time, and with mixed memories of her twenty-first century life and those of a seventeenth century lady, which causes difficult conflicts not only in herself but the people around her. The first English civil war is over, and the king deposed. The Prince of Wales is fleeing the country, and, as Caroline fights to change the future of the man with whom she has fallen in love, she begins to realise that time is not a straight line.

About The Author – Victoria L Short

Photo Credit Victoria L Short

I’m a mother to two teenagers and since moving from London the Suffolk five years ago I found I had some spare time, so I started to write. I wrote a little novella Our story coming home, which being my first I tend to cringe lol. Then in 2018 I re-produce my late grandfather WW2 logbook, A Stoker Logs, HMS Whelp, The Forgotten British Pacific Fleet. my grandfather served as a stoker on HMS Whelp, alongside Prince Phillip as the ships second in command.

My latest novel is an 80k romance time-slip called Through the water, Darkly which I super proud of. In-between writing and running a household I work in the film industry doing hair, makeup and wardrobe.

Book Review

This book is sprinkled with romance, historical facts and an out of body experience.

The book commences in the 21^st Century when Caroline retrieves a work-related accident, and she suddenly experiences an out of body experience living in the 17^th Century. She finds love with Nicholas, Lord Trevilian and becomes Lady Trevilian and Mistress of Debden Manor.

Throughout the book, Caroline struggles with culture and equal rights as she knows how the world has evolved in the 21^st century. Caroline manages to appear too forward with her use of the English language in the 17^th century, this can get her into trouble at times. Her knowledge of 21^st century medical issues can improve the lives of people back in the 17^th century. Caroline develops some very touching friendships and in one specific friend shares her horticultural knowledge to empower her.

Caroline foresees the future and attempts to change the course of action for love but is unable to delay the inevitable.

This book was extremely obsessive reading, and I must admit that I cried at the end. I would thoroughly recommend this book.

Victoria’s Other Books

1. The Forgotten British Pacific Fleet. A Stoker’s Log

Victoria’s Social Media and Random Things Tour

Blog No 171 – 2021 Reading List

My goal for 2021 was to read more than 40 books. If I could beat my previous years target of 66 books or more, I was going to be extremely happy. I achieved 43 books in total, therefore I superseded my target and averaged nearly one book a week, which wasn’t bad for last year.

Here is my reading list: –

1. The Whitechapel Girl – Gilda O’Neil
2. Quick Cooking – Mary Berry
3. The Colliers Wife – Chrissy Walsh
4. A Sisters Sorrow – Kitty Neal
5. The Jam Factory Girls – Mary Wood
6. The Abandoned Daughter – Mary Wood
7. The Little Book of Colour- Karen Haller
8. Joe Biden – Beatrice Gormley
9. The Brave Daughters – Mary Wood
10. The Wronged Daughter – Mary Wood
11. An Orphan’s Journey – Dilly Court
12. Secrets of the Jam Factory Girls – Mary Wood
13. As Time Goes By The House – Anne Bennett
14. Get Fit, Get Healthy, Get Happy – Mark Wright
15. Another Mans Child – Anne Bennett
16. Unnatural Causes – Dr Richard Shepherd
17. Winter Wedding – Dilly Court
18. Where’s There’s a Will – June Francis
19. Girls in Tin Hats – Anne Murray
20. A Girl From Woolworths – Elaine Everest
21. Two Pence to Cross the Mersey – Helen Forrester
22. The Case for Keto – Gary Taubes
23. Suspects – Lesley Pearce
24. Fortunes Daughter – Dilly Court
25. A Promised Land – Barack Obama
26. A Mother’s Secret – Kitty Neal
27. The Patchwork Girls – Elaine Everest
28. A Winter Love Song – Rita Bradshaw
29. The Forgotten Daughter – Glynis Peters
30. The Doctor Will See You Now – Dr Amir Khan
31. Reluctant Heiress – Dilly Court
32. It’s a Love Story – Martin Kemp & Shirley Kemp
33. Rome is Where the Heart is – Tilly Tennant
34. Over the Rainbow – Katie Flynn
35. Keto in an Instant – Jen Fisch
36. Shuggie Bain – Douglas Stuart
37. Shamed – Linda Castillo
38. The Stolen Baby – Diney Costeloe
39. The Butler – Danielle Steel
40. A Sinple Wish – Rosie Goodwin
41. Meet Me in London – Georgia Toffola
42. The Red Cross Orphans – Glynis Peters
43. The Asylum – Carol Minto

Here’s a reading Q&A

What is your favourite time of the day to read.

I tend to read when I go to bed, however I do listen to audiobooks during the day whilst I’m undertaking tasks.

How many hours do you read a day.

I can read or listen anything from 15mins to 2/3 hrs. It all depends what I’m doing or how tired I am.

What is my favourite genre.

Historical fiction is my favourite, however I’m trying other genres. I do like biographies, I feel it’s an education learning someone else’s struggles. It can make me appreciate my life and have empathy and compassion for other people. Even though I have cancer, I’m always saying there is someone out there suffering more than me so I’m lucky.

Which author did you first get obsessed with.

I would say it was Lyn Andrews then Katie Flynn

Who are you currently obsessed with.

Definitely Mary Wood and Dilly Court. To be fair my obsession is growing with many authors.

Can you read multiple books at one time.

Yes I can, nevertheless I think two is enough for me.

Which book/books was your favourite this year.

I did love “The Orphans Journey ” by Dilly Court, “Patchwork Girls ” by Elaine Everest and “The Jam Factory”’Series by Mary Wood.

Who was your favourite author this year.

I would say Mary Wood because her books are all so different and clearly well researched. Her imagination is incredible and it blows my mind how creative she is with her books.

Which new authors did you try this year

I would say Tilly Tennant and Georgia Toffola this year.

Which book touched you this year.

It has to “The Asylum” by Carol Minto. The true story was about the horrific abuse by her family and Aston Hall, the asylum.

How many books do you intend to read in 2022

I’m think about 40 again, let’s see what happens.

Blog No 167 – 2020 Reading List

My goal for 2020 was to read more than 46 books. If I could beat my previous target of 46 books or more, I was going to be happy. I achieved 66 books in total, therefore I superseded my target and averaged 1 book a week.

Here is my reading list: –

1. Girls in Tin Hats – Annie Murray
2. Villa of Secrets – Patricia Wilson
3. Hold on Hope – Jean Fullerton
4. Perhaps Tomorrow – Jean Fullerton
5. Sisters of Gold – Annie Murray
6. A Glimpse of Happiness – Jean Fullerton
7. I Owe You One – Sophie Kinsella
8. The Teashop Girls – Elaine Everest
9. No Cure for Love – Jean Fullerton
10. The Secret Midwife – Katy Weitz
11. The Volunteer – Jack Fairweather
12. Permanent Records – Edward Snowden
13. The House Across The Street – Lesley Pearse
14. Twas The Nightshift Before Christmas – Adam Kaye
15. The Whitechapel Girl – Gilda O’Neil
16. Christmas With The Teashop Girls – Elaine Everest
17. Finding Freedom – Carolyn Durand, Omid Scobie
18. Royal – Danielle Steel
19. The Orphan Twins – Lesley Eames
20. The Rag & Bone Girl – Maggie Ford
21. Going Hime to Liverpool – Kate Eastham
22. The Country Bride – Dilly Court
23. Liverpool Daughter – Katie Flynn
24. A Springtime Affair – Katie Fforde
25. The Light in Hidden Places – Sharon Cameron
26. Goodnight Sweetheart – Pam Weaver
27. Memories are Made of This – June Francis
28. Pack Up Your Troubles – Anne Bennet
29. How to Make it Happen – Maria Hatzistefanis
30. Official Secrets – Marcia Mitchell & Thomas Mitchell
31. A Daughter Ruin – Kitty Neale
32. A Village Scandal – Dilly Court
33. Many a Tear Has to Fall – June Francis
34. Mothering Sunday – Rosie Goodwin
35. It’s Now or Never – June Francis
36. Walking Back to Happiness – June Francis
37. The Spitfire Sisters – Margaret Dickinson
38. Love Letters in the Sand – June Francis
39. Shadows of the Past – June Francis
40. Her Father Name – Beezy March
41. How to be British – Tim Benson
42. The Jones Family Food Roster – Alison Jones
43. The Man Who Didn’t Call – Rosie Walsh
44. An Ophran Christmas – Katie Flynn
45. Diagnosis – Lisa Sanders
46. The Orphan Thief – Glynis Peters
47. Mind Over Clutter – Nicola Lewis
48. The Prison Doctor – Dr Amanda Brown
49. An Orphans War – Molly Green
50. A Strong Hand to Hold – Anne Bennett
51. Time To Say Goodbye – Rosie Goodwin
52. The Organised Writer – Anthony Johnston
53. The Christmas Wedding – Dilly Court
54. Rag and Bone Christmas – Dilly Court
55. For Better or Worse – June Francis
56. The Winters Promise – Rosie Goodwin
57. The Orphans of Halfpenny St – Cathy Sharp
58. A Daughter Duty – Maggie Hope
59. Do The Birds Still Sing in Hell – Horace Greasley
60. Dilly’s Sacrifice – Rosie Goodwin
61. Dilly’s Lass – Rosie Goodwin
62. Dilly’s Hope – Rosie Goodwin
63. The Mill Girl – Rosie Goodwin
64. Will You Take Me Home – Julie Tottman
65. The Convent – Maria Hargreaves
66. Home Front Girls – Rosie Goodwin

Here’s a reading Q&A

What is your favourite time of the day to read.

I tend to read when I go to bed. I can read everything from 10 pages to 100 in a night.

How many hours do you read a day.

I can read anything from 15mins to 2/3 hrs. It all depends how tired I am.

What is my favourite genre.

Historical fiction is my favourite, however I’m trying other genres.

Which author did you first get obsessed with.

I would say it was Lyn Andrews then Katie Flynn

Who are you currently obsessed with.

I would say Dilly Court and June Francis. To be fair my obsession is growing with many authors.

Can you read multiple books at one time.

Yes I can, nevertheless I think two is enough for me.

Which book/books was your favourite this year.

I did love “Rag n Bone Christmas” by Dilly Court. I also enjoyed “Will You Take Me Home” by Julie Tottman. This was a true story, which involved a Yorkie dog, therefore I brought the book for my goddaughter too as she’s a reader.

Who was your favourite author this year.

I would say June Francis because her characters in her books follow through her books, which I loved.

Which new authors did you try this year

I would say June Francis and Jean Fullerton were the most popular as I had read a few of their books.

Which book touched you this year.

It has to “The Convent” by Maria Hargreaves. The true story was about the horrific cruelty to children by a nun in a care home in Oldham, U.K.

How many books do you intend to read in 2021.

I’m not sure I’ll reach that target again but let’s see what happens.

Blog No 150 – 2019 Reading List

My goal for 2019 was to read more than 24 books. If I achieve 24 books or more, I was going to be happy. The target was to read 2 books a month and in some cases it was more. My reading last year took a real boost with a total of 46 books.

Here is my reading list: –

1. The Tattooist – Heather Morris
2. Christmas Rose – Dilly Court
3. Always Smiling – Georgia Toffolo
4. The Hiding Place – Trezza Azzopardi
5. The Choice – Edith Eger
6. Spitfire Girl – Lily Baxter
7. Poppy’s War – Lily Baxter
8. Wartime Girls – Anne Baker
9. The Shopkeepers Daughter – Lily Baxter
10. Whistledown Woman – Josephine Cox
11. A Song for Bridget – Phyllis Whitsell
12. The Empty Hearth – Kitty Neale
13. After the war is over – Maureen Lee
14. A Christmas in Disguise – Katie Fforde
15. Into the Fire – Edric Kennedy-Macfoy
16. The Barefoot Girl – Cathy Sharp
17. The Little Orphan Girl – Sandy Taylor
18. Liverpool Sisters – Lynn Andrews
19. The Librarian – Dita Kraus
20. Nettie Secret – Dilly Court
21. Kitty and her Sisters – Maureen Lee
22. I spy – Tom Marcus
23. Under the Hawthorn Tree – Marita Conlon McKenna
24. My Not So Perfect Life – Sophie Kinsella
25. In His Father Footsteps – Danielle Steel
26. Come Rain or Shine – Pam Weaver
27. Eminence – Morris West
28. Brutal Honest – Melanie Brown
29. Daughters of Courage – Margaret Dickinson
30. Sing Them Home – Pam Weaver
31. Christmas to Come – Carol Rivers
32. This is Going to Hurt – Adam Kaye
33. The Butlin Girls – Elaine Everest
34. Becoming – Michelle Obama
35. The Orphans of Bell Lane – Ruthie Lane
36. The Winter Orphan – Cathy Sharp
37. Bicycles & Blackberries – Shelia Newberry
38. A Family’s Heartbreak – Kitty Neale
39. Light Out Till Dawn – Dee Williams
40. The Collaborator – Diane Armstrong
41. A Precious Gift – Rosie Goodwin
42. The Secret Orphan – Glynis Peters
43. Clika’s Journey – Heather Morris
44. The Titanic Sisters – Patrica Falvey
45. The Orphan Thief – Glynis Peters
46. Twas the Nightshift Before – Adam Kay

Last year, I wanted to open up my mind to new authors. I had introduced approximately 23 new authors of various genres

The books I had read were so varied from The Tattooist to I Spy. Reading books expands the mind and triggers imagination.

Books make me happy and give me immense pleasure. My well being is surely improved by reading. My goal this year is to be 46 books.

Weekly Blog No 113 – 2017 Reading List

Last year I attempted to read 24 books again but to my disappointment I have failed. As previously mentioned, my reading was at a slower pace last year. Despite the slower pace I did reach some reading goals by attempting to read some new authors.

Here’s my reading list for 2017.

1. A Little Leaving – Anne Bennett
2. Pie n Mash & Prefabs – Norman Jacobs
3. Solider Spy – Tom Marcus
4. A Street Car Named Bob – James Bowen
5. The Mistletoe Seller – Dilly Court
6. The Christmas Card – Dilly Court
7. Forget Me Not Child – Anne Bennett
8. Eve of the Isles – Carol Rivers
9. The Button Box – Dilly Court
10. When Breath Becomes Air – Paul Kalanithi
11. Queen of the Mersey – Maureen Lee
12. Lizzie of Langley St – Carol Rivers
13. The Fight for Lizzie Flowers – Carol Rivers
14. Don’t Ever Tell – Kathy O’Beirne
15. Christmas to Come – Carol Rivers
16. Fighting To The End – Jade Goody
17. The Girl From Seaforth Sands – Katie Flynn
18. Gypsy Boy – Mikes Walsh

Until I wrote the above list, I hadn’t realised how much I had read last year. You can see who my favourite authors are. I did try some alternative authors last year but I keep going back to my favourites. Let’s see what happens this year.